Menu Close

Category: Uncategorized

Frank Hart: The First Black Ultrarunning Star – NEW BOOK

New Book!  I’ve started to compile some of my research and stories in books. The first is about Frank Hart (1856-1908) from Boston, Massachusetts.

In 1879, just twelve years after the Civil War ended, Frank Hart of Boston, Massachusetts, became the first black running superstar in history, and the most famous black athlete in America. In a sense, he was the Jackie Robinson of the sport of ultrarunning in the 19th century, overcoming racial barriers to compete at the highest level in the world, in the extremely popular spectator sport of ultrarunning/pedestrianism.

Frank Hart’s full story has never been told before. It is an important story to understand, both for the amazing early inclusiveness of the sport, and to understand the cruel racist challenges he faced as he tried to compete with his feet and sometimes with his fists. He was the first black pedestrian to compete against whites in high-profile, mega-mile races in front of tens of thousands of people.

This biography also presents twenty-three years (1879-1902) of the amazing pedestrian era history as experienced by Hart when ultradistance running was the most popular spectator sport in the country. He competed in at least 110 ultras, including eleven in Madison Square Garden, where he set a world record, running 565 miles in six days in front of tens of thousands of spectators and wagerers.  During his running career, he won the equivalent of $3.5 million in today’s value and lost it all.

Get it on Amazon. Paperback 128 pp. or Kindle version. Loaded with historic pictures.

More →

Kansas Rail-To-Trails 100

I was privileged to run the Kansas Rails-To-Trails 100 held in eastern Kansas, part of the Kansas Rails-to-Trails Fall Ultra Extravaganza. I ran this race back in 2017, enjoyed the long flat course and was eager to return. It runs on a former rail bed, the 51-mile Prairie Spirit Trail.

But the background story was a long and frustrating one. In February at about mile 65 of Rocky Raccoon 100 in Texas, I felt some unusual sharp injury pain in my left knee and knew that I needed to stop, so I wisely did. After doctors’ visits, the knee was scoped, cleaned out, with no significant problem other than a lot of wear. Five weeks later I started running again but after one long run I came up very lame. I stopped running altogether for months after a second MRI and other treatments. To try to stay in some sort of shape, I started swimming again, which I disliked, and then did a few 80-mile bike rides on a mountain bike which I enjoyed. But it still wasn’t running.

More →

Climb up Cascade Mountain

During the terrible heat wave this weekend, I tried to escape the heat by climbing high, above 10,000 feet.  I climbed Cascade Mountain for the first time which towers above Provo/Orem, the next mountain to the south of Mount Timpanogos.   It was 81 degrees when I started in the dark and 103 when I returned to my car.   My Garmin said I climbed more than 11,000 feet.   Here’s a video of the adventure:

More →

End-to-end run on the spine of Lake Mountain

This morning I accomplished a run I’ve wanted to do for some time, to run the spine of Lake Mountain north to south.   I started at about 3 a.m. in the Ranches in Eagle Mountain.  I parked my car in front of the house and was off, climbing up to the ridge. The first several miles are pretty easy, a nice ridge road on top, but above Reformation Canyon, the road ends and it turns into a bushwhack.  The best and fasted route is to just stick with the ridge tops, going up and down.  To the summit, the main ridge is on the Eagle mountain side.  There is a lower ridge on the Utah Lake side but well out of the way.

It was great fun going up and down the ridges.  Because of the fire, the ridge tops now are very runnable, no more thick scrub and spider webs.  You can make good time, but I took it easy, enjoying the night and doing plenty of sight-seeing.

Once I reached the true summit about about 7,750, going further, somehow I took a wrong turn.  I was puzzled that somehow I missed noticing the main road….well that is because I started running on the wrong ridge, that would have got me to the right place, but no road and much steeper down.  I figured things out, came down to the main road, ran up and found the right series of roads.  With all the towers up there it is pretty confusing which is the right road, but now I know.  I finally connected to the ridge road to take me all the way to Soldier’s pass, about 18 miles.

Dawn arrived and the light reflecting off of Utah Lake was pretty amazing.  Eventually the road descends into a short canyon on the south end.  There was a shooter there that made me nervous with his handgun, but he noticed me and I ran by.

Once I hit Redwood Road, about the 20-mile mark, I turned and started running home on the pavement.  I went about 8 more miles, and with just six more miles to go, I called home so I wouldn’t be late for the birthday activities.  It was a wonder fun.  Here is the video and photos:

 

More →

Ultrarunner Podcast

I was privileged to be asked to be part of this week’s Ultrarunner Podcast.  I had no idea what they would ask me.  It was fun.  My son was a little puzzled that apparently we moved to Colorado without telling him, and he lives at home with us.

Listen here

More →

End-to-end Jordan River Parkway Run – Utah Lake to Great Salt Lake

The Jordan River in Utah meanders for more than 50 miles between Utah’s largest natural fresh-water lake (Utah Lake) and the famed Great Salt Lake.  For many years a paved recreational trail has been constructed along the river.  It is named:  Jordan River Parkway Trail.  As far as I can tell, no one has before attempted to run the trail end-to-end in one day.  That was my quest for this urban adventure run.

More →

Back running – cautiously

I continue to recover from my broken leg.  It has now been six months.  I now can run cautiously.  It is wonderful to be back on the trails somewhat.  Pain still exists, but I’m trying to be careful and thus far the activity seems to help more than hurt as I see improvement every couple days now.  It seems like most of the pain is soft tissue now, but I’m still not ready to really pound the downhills.   I’ve been able to run three 50+ mile weeks in a row and my fitness is coming back.  I’ve summitted Mount Timpanogos (a 4,500-foot climb in 7 miles) five times in the last few weeks and have progressed to a 3:59 round trip.  It seems like my fitness would allow a 3:30, but I have to back off the pace to keep the pain level down.  A 3:30 pace is fairly typical when I’m in good ultrarunning shape.  I do most of these summits in the dark, so that also limits the pace.

More →

First run

After 21 long weeks, today I ran my first steps pain-free.  It was a slow jog for 1/4 mile, but it was running, and I power-walked a total of 5 miles today.   After a half hour session pounding the elliptical, I went home and my wife said for the first time in five months, “OOOO, you stink.”   That was music to my ears.   I’m still a ways of from running at full speed, but I now have hope again.

Week 22.  Continued progress.   I ran three miles at 3/4th speed.  Pain is the lowest I have felt during running since Dec 30.

More →

You know its been awhile…

It has now been 18 weeks since I have run since stress fracturing my tibia all the way through while running (and finishing) Rocky Raccoon 100.

You know its been awhile since you ran when:

  • Your family compliments you on your toe nails, only one is black.
  • You can’t remember when you bought your last pair of shoes.
  • You wonder if your model of shoe has been discontinued.
  • You see an overweight runner going down the street and you mutter to yourself, “show-off”
  • Nerve endings in your feet are coming to life for the first time in 8 years.
  • You have gained ten pounds but have been eating half as much as usual.
  • You no longer have reoccurring dreams about showing up for races late.
  • You discover that you have three grand children
  • Your grandson can run faster than you…in his walker
  • You start referring to yourself as a former runner

On the bright side, things are progressing.  The fracture was nearly complete through the entire bone.  I now have a bone stimulator machine that seems to be helping.  I can now do short walks nearly pain free.

 

 

More →

Running on a busted leg

Finally after getting the runaround with doctors and tests, the verdict is in:  I have a bad stress fracture on my tibia about three inches below the knee.  The fracture seems to be about 3-4 inches long across the bone.  It was frustrating that it took so long to get a definitive diagnosis, but I also had hammered my knee very bad and it took 7 weeks for that pain to go down.  An MRI concentrated on the knee and only after I asked the doctor twice to look very close at the pictures again did he see the fracture down below.  It also lit up like a light bulb in a bone scan.

More →

When you can’t run (or hardly walk)

One lone trekking pole by the fireplace

I haven’t yet posted my Rocky Raccoon 100 report, but may still once the story is complete.  In short, I tried to run RR100 with some leg pain left over from Across the Years.  The hope was that the problem was minor and would calm down and go away during the race.  By mile 8, things did feel much better, but by mile 40, I knew it would be a painful finish if I continued.  I did continue and finished my 5th RR100 in my slowest time ever.  The last 20 miles took 8.5 hours and I used trekking poles like crutches.  I promised myself that I would stop if my knee swelled up.   It never did much so I continued to the finish, and later was pushed through the airport in a wheel chair.

More →